Tuesday, February 26, 2019

3 Ways to Read-a-Book

We are learning all the ways we can read a book.
All year long we have been taking PICTURE WALKS
A picture walk is when the 'reader' tells the story based on what he/she sees in the illustrations.
We have learned that illustrations need 
many details so they tell a story and are 
practicing adding details in our own illustrations.
The children have also been learning how to retell their own version of a story after hearing it read several times. 
RETELLING can happen in a variety of ways. 
In 4K we use a flannel board with character pieces.
 We also use puppets and stuffed animal characters to 
make-up our own stories or retell familiar stories. 
Our newest form of retelling is when the children become the characters much like an actor or an actress. 
After attending the play at Cardinal Stritch, 
this has become even more popular.
Retelling focuses on concentrating on what happened in the beginning of the story, the middle, and the ending of the story.
This will be our focus over the next few months.
Currently, the children are enjoying acting out 
the story of Noah's Ark.

The last way we can read a story is by READING THE WORDS.
In 4K 'reading the words' can mean hunting for familiar sight words which are referred to as  'SNAP WORDS
or even spotting letters that we know. 
The children are all at different stages of reading development 
and each level is nurtured along.

The children are also learning some of the 
procedures for Independent Reading time.
Each child has their very own big kid book bin which is filled with early emergent readers, as well as ABC cards, 
letter-sound cards, and letter flip books.
Now, the children will put the '3 Ways to Read a Book' into action.
Each child chooses a reading spot and spends time 
interacting with his/her books.
Clearly, each child has his.her own style 
when relaxing with a good book:)
Reading to a friend is another popular way to share a good book.
To help the children understand their role when reading to a friend, they each wear a necklace reminding them of the role they chose. 
The mouth is worn by the reader 
and the ear is worn by the listener:)
Sometimes our stuffed animals even get in on the action.

'Listen-to-Reading' is another element that 
4K students are engaged in. 
The children have learned how to follow along with the story and 
turn the pages with a signal cue on the CD.
The children also like being chosen to be the 'teacher' 
and lead the class in a story on CD as well.
This is a very exciting time for literacy learning in 4K:)

Friday, February 22, 2019

The Dentist is In

Welcome to our Pre-K dental practice!
We are open Monday through Friday during school hours.
Our waiting room is very comfortable and equipped with
the best dental books around.

Our receptionist will take a full patient history
and the dentist will educate the patients on their care.
Precautions are taken to protect the patient and 
the dentist from germs.
 Gloving up is tricky, but we get the job done!
 Open-wide!
Our receptionists are very friendly and efficient 
at writing messages for the doctor.
Collaboration is key in this practice.
No dental practice would be complete without a lab.
 
Our interns and hygienists practice the art of 
brushing teeth in our lab school.
 We also practice flossing on special props until we are experts.
Extractions and implant placement is our 
specialty at the finger gym.
Stop in for a cleaning. 
You will leave with a pearly white smile!!
 Future dentists of America!

Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Dental Health Visit

This morning we had a visit from a very important 
community helper... a dentist!
This isn't just any dentist, he happens to be 
married to one of our teachers:)
We call him Dr. Mike.
He wears special magnifying glasses to 
make the teeth look ginormous!
He taught us about the importance of brushing our teeth at least two times everyday to loosen the bacteria settled on our teeth from the foods and beverages we eat all day long.
This will prevent the dreaded PLAQUE ATTACK!
Eww... GROSS!
He showed us exactly what a cavity looks like up close and how a dentist cleans it out and fills it in so it stops growing.
He put liquid into the cavity hole that got sticky like glue.
Then with the help of a special assistant, they shined a 
blue light to 'cure' the glue and make it hard like the tooth.
We got to touch the finished tooth.
It was smooth and shiny!
 He also showed us what he does with the molds of teeth he makes.
He uses them to build crowns and veneers 
and is able to check if they fit properly 
before he places them into the patients mouth.
He even let us touch his real dental tools called hand pieces.
We showed Dr. Mike around our classroom dental office and lab.
He was impressed at how neat and tidy we keep our dental trays.
He even recognized the dental molds, tools, and forms.
He forgot he gave them to our teachers:)
The highlight of the visit was when Dr. Mike 
did the 'floss dance' with us.
So silly!
Thank you, Dr. Mike!